#fluorescents

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[nerdfighterwhatevernumbers]

[falloutbradreviews]

Fluorescents - Scream It At Me

For as much as pop-punk has been back in the mainstream, there’s one kind that I don’t think has been represented — neon pop-punk. In the late 00s, and early 2010s, bands like Forever The Sickest Kids, All Time Low, Every Avenue, Hit The Lights, and many others, dominated the pop-punk scene, and it was called “neon pop-punk,” named for how a lot of the bands dressed in neon colors, how bright and synth-heavy their music was, and how they placed a lot more emphasis on the “pop” than punk. I, for one, absolutely loved it, and a lot of favorite bands from that era came from the neon scene. In recent years, as pop-punk has been getting bigger in the mainstream again, I’ve noticed that a few bands have been either turning more into a catchy and neon-ish band, or they’re immediately jumping into that sound. State Champs’ last album, 2022’s Kings Of The New Age, is their catchiest album yet, and bands like Stand Atlantic, Broadside, and Honey Revenge are releasing albums that are way more pop than punk.

The latest band I found in this vein is one that I’ve been subtly following for a while on TikTok, and that’s Chicago outfit Fluorescents. They finally dropped a debut album, entitled Scream It At Me, and it’s composed of songs they’ve released within the last couple of years. These guys caught my attention by having a very pop-focused version of pop-punk, and reminding me of a lot of 00s bands, whether it’s the lyrics, vocals, melodies, and their overall sound. They also have a few other subtle influences, like some easycore and hip-hop in spots, but they mainly have a very pop-influenced sound. I didn’t know their debut was coming out until a few days before, but I was ecstatic, and to no surprise, I’m head over heels for this thing. This is one of the best albums I’ve heard all year, and one of the best pop-punk albums I’ve heard in a long while.

These guys take everything I love about the genre, especially back when I really listened to it, and make it so well. They also subtly modernize the sound, too, especially with the lyrics, but it doesn’t sound immediately dated or cringy. The biggest thing that works here, and why I keep returning to this album, are its hooks. This thing has hooks for days, and despite being a 34-minute album, I’ve played this a few times in a row before, just because I can’t get enough. It’s so sugary sweet, you might get a toothache from this record. From front to back, I always have a smile on my face when I listen to this record. Every song really sticks out, and that’s a rare feat on a pop-punk record these days.

It helps that this band has a few other tricks up their sleeve, whether it’s a few different vocalists, and a sound that manages to have the songs flow together quite well without running together. They make each song stand out enough, and it works so well. Lyrically, these guys are nothing that special, but a lot of these lyrics remind me of bands I used to listen to back in the day. One of their vocalists reminds me a ton of the vocalist of Hit The Lights, and it just takes me back almost 16 years ago listening to their sophomore album in my sophomore year of high school. They just have great chemistry, and the multiple vocalists help the album from getting stale.

I just really love this record, but it’s a mixture of nostalgia for this sound that I forgot how much I loved, and just how well done it is. I usually find a few pop-punk albums each year that I love a lot, especially after getting back into the genre around four or five years ago, and this may be the best one, unless something random sneaks up behind it. A couple of other great pop-punk albums have come out, too, like the new Neck Deep record that came out in January, for some reason, but Fluorescents is easily one of the best unsigned bands that you’re not listening to.

[snugzdougz]

[sunglass-horizons]

so give me one good reason to believe i’m getting better.

[dausy]

So PaulRubens was super cool and sent me a watercolor set to test out for free. I feel obligated to art with it because HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!? I never expected to get so much free stuff. Bad news is I'll have to do surgery on the opera purple because its a dud and dry in the tube. Its the swatch in the middle second to bottom. Its one of the only NONFLUORESCENT colors and pretty looking. So Id like to salvage it.

The very very very first watercolor brands I discovered when I started doing traditional art was paul rubens. So I'm pretty confident with the quality I'm getting into and thrilled even if I had the one dud.

My only issue is I didn't know what to expect to receive in the mail. It was a surprise and I had an illustration ready to color for testing but I was expecting your normal basic color palette (rgb). I was not ready for fluorescents. I can not do my illustration with fluorescents. So now I have to go back to the drawing bored. Which puts me back just a little bit because I have something else I need to film too and I worry about phone space with these files lmao. I did though buy those schmincke neon colors a while back and never used them either and we may need to do like a collaboration with the two sets to say I've used both.

I'm also running out of time just in general.

and I know I said I was going to have to slow down on spending money but I'm considering buying a mushroom hole punch because I just discovered discbound binding discs for notebooks. I like having journals for my artworks but its hard to find the type of paper I want in journals and I bought this one stack of paper a while back and I want them in notebook form.

Also tempted to try making a customs stamp because I've been sending stuff out in the mail recently. 8I

anywho, today I think I may speed paint the illustration that I was going to do but can't do anymore but I'll never go back to it ever again if I don't paint it. Also I hate skipping a page in my journal because it makes it hard to lay the page flat when its waterlogged and the page underneith it has been painted on. So it may not be a great illustration in the end but itll be a take up space painting instead.

also I bought horizona zero dawn2 last night but havent played it yet 8O

[ewiger-halbschlaf]

So give me one good reason to believe I'm getting better

...

I'm so sick of feeling alone

[isopodbug]

hey if you like green day, waterparks or other pop punk bands i highly encourage you to check out the band Fluorescents!! they’re an amazing post pop punk band from Chicago and they’re extremely underrated so go check out their stuff!! i highly recommend their song Dormancy which i will link, so give them a listen!! they’re so good and deserve to be a lot more well known